A bit of the History of Jai Alai

The sport of Jai Alai is thought to be created over five centuries ago in the northern part of Spain known as the Basque region. The original name for the sport is Pelota Vasca, translated to Basque ball. The Basque region has their own language of Basque and throughout history has tried to become their own country because it is culturally and physically so independent of the country of Spain. This interests me because I have never really heard about this region. The region is in the heart of the Pyranees Mountains and consists of many small mountain villages. The name Jai Alai comes from the Basque language meaning Merry Festival, this name was given because the game was only played on Sundays and on holidays. The game of Jai Alai was not introduced to the United States until the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904. Casino's in America have captured the wonder of the worlds fastest ball sport. Florida is considered the home to Jai Alai now because there is more Jai Alai games played there than anywhere else in the world. Other place in the US where the game is played are Las Vegas, Reno, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The only changes in the sport over the 500 years of existance are the speed of the game and the courts that are used, they are much faster courts than the old church walls they play on in the Basque region.